97and which nonetheless seems to form a unity with the out-
side upon greater familiarity. Also handled dramaturgically
are the spatial sequences found in Baroque gardens, where
obstacles positioned along a central view axis impel continual
detours through which the goal is lost to the gaze, only to be
found again unexpectedly, lost again, and then attained in an
ultimate triumph. Staircases are particularly well-adapted to
dramatic effects, initially blocking views of rooms in other
storeys, revealing them only after the labour of ascent, re-
warding effort by proffering astonishing interior and exterior
views – a striking example being Balthasar Neumann’s stair-
case in the Bruchsal Palace, the impact of which is heightened
by the opposition between the demonic cavern below and the
unexpected lightness of the celestial zone positioned above.> architecture, event, monument, tectonics, timeArchitecture is always a form of dwelling. Alongside other
functions, it always faces the task of screening off and articu-
lating spaces so that they are available to people in general
terms for the purposes of inhabiting the earth, which is to say,
for residence and as a setting for developing their activities.
For this reason, it is not only the > residence that constitutes
a dwelling. If we – like Martin Heidegger – grasp the concept
of dwelling in existential terms, and understand all build-
ing in these terms, then we could even say of power plants,
spinning mills and motorways: ‘These buildings house man.’
(1953/1993, 348)
The word dwelling is suggestive of protection and secu-
rity against a hostile external world. As an enclosed area, it
is meant to provide us with a private space that secures inner
peace and tranquillity so that we can assert ourselves in the
world outside. Otto Friedrich Bollnow (1963) regards the in-
dividual as being ‘incarnated’ in his or her house, regarding asDuration
Dwelling